Avatar: Without Water
by Golden Myths
Summary: The world of Avatar is in peacetime, but has seen no Avatar since the loss of Avatar Korra. Meanwhile, in a large city that blends all the nations that once existed in the land, a small girl longs to be a Waterbender.
1. The Unearthing

Avatar: Without Water

Chapter 1: The Unearthing

It is now almost two hundred years since Avatar Aang ended the Fire War, and over 100 years since the rebellion against the benders that Avatar Korra turned back. A lot is better now than it was then, I've heard. No great walls divide the nations like the Fire Nation battlements over 200 years ago, or the great gates of the Northern Water Tribe and the Wall of Ba Sing Se. Nor is there any anger between those who can bend the world around them, or who can't. The nations of the past have been United Republic for as long as my parents can remember. There are cities, and benders, still, though. I wish there weren't. At least the benders.  
>I should start at the beginning. My name is Kaala. My mother named me a Waterbending name, in honor of the great Avatar Korra. Nothing different than many children I'm sure. We live in L'Rawn, a coastal city founded by Avatar Aang's grandson, built by benders. People from all the historical nations live here, it was the first great place after the Republic City for everyone to experience all the bending arts. It's wonderful.<p>

Every year there is a festival, where non-benders and benders alike can display talents, prize crops, and their wares to sell. My favorite thing to do was watch the waterbenders perform. The only thing lacking was to see a bender who could've added to the performances by bending the other elements, but that was impossible. Korra died not long before I was born. I wish I could've seen her bend, but even alone the Waterbenders were fantastic. For moments the central courtyard of L'Rawn seemed flooded, than in an orb of ice. One moment we'd be surrounded by whirling water, the next by shards of ice. Every other bit of bending seemed like a chant, though I never saw Airbending much due to the benders being so very rare, but Waterbending was a dance. They moved so fluidly, with such grace… I decided at a young age I wanted to be one. My mother and father and brothers shook their head at my foolishness in trying to become a bender, but I wasn't deterred. I spent hours sitting by the fountain in the center of the city, staring at the water and dancing around. I tried so hard….I remember being rather lonely when others would try to console me and I'd push them away. Even my two brothers, one older and one younger, teased me for being so foolish. They learned to dance with the fire benders and danced in the festival with benders and non-benders alike. I hadn't gotten anywhere near the level of grace the Waterbenders had, and I'd had Waterbenders try to teach me! I suppose I was good enough to have joined them, my parents always tried to convince me too, they claimed I was a dancing prodigy. Maybe so, but I wasn't a Waterbender. I must've been twelve or so when my frustration really got to me. I remember storming off, out of the city and into the forest.

The next morning I woke up, my face clean from crying myself to sleep, completely in shadow. I was inside of a boulder. Panicked, I tore at the sides…and they fell. I remember being mesmerized by my own hands, and sitting alone in the forest for what felt like hours before slowly mimicking the Earthbender's I'd seen occasionally. It was a dreadful theory, but I had to test it.  
>The earth shuddered as I moved my shaking hands. I would never be a Waterbender. I was locked into the blocky talents of Earthbending.<br>My eyes were red and my face was bathed in tears when my father found me in the forest late in the day. I ignored the fear I saw in his face, and refused to tell him what was wrong. He was a determined fellow though, my father is, and when asking failed to work, he tried to tempt me with a handful of dancing flames.

Did I mention he was a fire-bender? He didn't bend much, except in meditation. He was taught in a school started by a daughter of Fire Lord Zuko, one of it's first students, and found fire to be entertaining and calming. When my brothers and I were growing up, he'd entertain us by doing tricks, while Mother tended the hearth. She was from the Earth Kingdom, where occasionally an elder would rage about their parents stories and the threats Firebenders had for the Earth Kingdom, and though she trusted Father she didn't trust his fire as much. From what the elder Waterbenders or the great-grandchildren of Avatar Aang, who visited the city occasionally, said, the Waterbenders suffered more. Firebenders were shamed, and distrusted, but nothing more. Airbenders…it seemed that only being born with Airbender blood made you one of them, and always made you one of them. Anyway there were very few around. Earthbenders still suffered the least in the history of battles between the nations. Mother said it was their resilience. Anyway, it kept me farther from my dream.

Seeing him demonstrate his bending only upset me more, and without controlling it I whipped away, sobbing anew, and a block of earth threw him across the clearing. For a while it was silent, as the light began to sink with the sun, and my father recovered from the shock he must've felt and sat to play with fire. In time I stopped to notice the glow out of the corner of my eye, and my jaw slackened at the tricks he was doing with the fire. It spun around him and bloomed in large flowers around me and performed feats i'd only seen some I'd only seen the benders at the festival do, or that I'd never seen at all. Then he picked me up and began walking home, talking all the way. All I remember is him telling me "Just because the talent is not one you've wanted, doesn't mean it's any less beautiful."

That was five years ago.


	2. Quizzical Actions

Avatar: Without Water

Chapter 2: Quizzical Actions

Ever since I became of age almost a year ago, I've lived in the Southern Water Tribe, bending as little as I possibly can, very little considering there is minimal true rock here. It's five years since I discovered my Earthbending and i'm the happiest i've ever been here. It's not as large as it's Northern sister tribe, but much much closer in size than it used to be, or so I hear. They have more of a royal family now, like the other nations. Of course it's only the Avatar that really is a ruler of all nations, as most see it, but there really are a few quite powerful people around the world. They're much friendlier than history says others have been though.

Since I've moved to this tribe, I've done everything with the members of my tribe and watch the rare Earthbending performances only because bending is still a valued talent and if needed I'd hate for my dislike of it to be someone's ruin.

Only one person, aside from my father who he didn't even tell the rest of my family and even kept them from commenting when I stopped trying to Waterbend, knows of my ability. It is my dear friend Likana, a cousin of the chief's handsome son, Koruk. She teases me, claiming that it's only her and her cousin's Waterbending I like and not them themselves, for he's a friend of mine as well. She sees the way I still enviously watch them bend, though I know I've no chance. I like it here, I want to Waterbend as much as ever, but I feel closer to it. Likana is wonderful though, she wouldn't ever tell a secret and is one of the best Waterbenders, aside from the chief and his son. She even gave me a present when I joined the tribe, a polar-dog puppy who now is almost as tall as I am and will get larger. Her name is Seeli, and my constant companion. Best present I ever got, probably why I trusted Likana to know about my Bending.

"Kaala!" Only one voice holds my name that long and melodic in the air.

"Hey Likana." I said, unable to keep from smiling as she sat down next to me, all bubbles and sea foam. Her personality wasn't quite infectious enough to keep me from watching the sun set though.

"Chief Dirahn wants to see you. Claims that in all the shock of someone actually moving up here he forgot about some test they're supposed to give to all newcomers. " My head whipped around and I glared at her, suspicious. "What? What test? "

She shrugged nonchalantly, leaning her head back and tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. I always envied her and the long black hair and blue eyes native to Waterbenders. My own eyes were a dark green and my hair, worn long like the Waterbenders, was a solid dull brown.

I sighed and stood up, told Likana I'd see her later and began making my way to the Chief's house on the other side of the city as Seeli walked beside me. It wasn't as large as legend says it used to be in comparison to the other buildings in the city, but it is still largest building in the city, called the Southern Water Tribe Palace, and the only one that waved the Water Tribe flag.

When I approached the door, I left Seeli to sit outside. As I moved the fabric that was the door and entered the first room, I stopped. This was partly out of politeness and partly because the room was littered with children's toys. Across the room sat the tribe chief, talking to Koruk and his older niece. The latter, I assumed, was the reason for the toys as she had her two young children with her.

"Um…Chief Dirahn? You wanted to see me?" Dirahn looked over at me, and smiled. "Kaala! Yes, welcome in. Have you met Lina? She's my niece, but she and Koruk have the duty of restocking our family pantrie, and her children have made a mess of the place. I meant to ask you about something, but it'll have to wait. Do you mind helping clean up before we talk?" He looked exasperated at the mess, though the man was smiling as his niece and her children left. I smiled in return. "Anything to help the tribe Chief, Dirahn."

As we moved through the room, I would toss a toy to him, and he'd Waterbend it into a bag. It seemed a bit impractical, but I think it was to amuse me as well, as there seemed to be quite a variety of toys here in shapes of all sort of Waterbending creatures and Water Tribe tools. I kept stumbling upon a few that just seemed too special to throw into the bag of miscellaneous toys, and eventually the room was clean except for those four lying on the ground. There was a penguin, a brown bear, a hawk, and a model glider, When I didn't pick them up, Dirahn looked at them, then at me.

"What about these?" His tone seemed almost wary.

I tried to find a way to explain myself. "These don't go in a separate bag? They seem special, in a way. " He smiled. "They do, actually. Very observant. " With a bubble of water he swept them up into a different bag, and motioned for me to sit in the fur-and-bone chair in front of him. I did.

"Pardon this interview, but it is a tradition to at least know who we have among us. Not that it matters all that much, but I like to think you're a family friend anyway. " Dirahn's tone was friendly, so despite my suspicious curiousity, I simply nodded for him to continue.

"What's your history, Kaala? City you grew up in? Family history? It's likely more interesting than any of ours anyway. "

"I grew up in the L'Rawn, Chief Dirahn. My mother was a citizen of the Earth Kingdom before she moved to L'Rawn with her parents soon after it's founding. My father's family left the Fire Nation after the War, living in United Republic before my father moved to L'Rawn and met my mother. "

"Definitely more interesting than my own history. Born and raised in the Northern Water Tribe, as I'm sure you well know. " I couldn't help but grin at the cheerful manner he was addressing me in.

"Well, that more or less covers the basic interview, but I'm intrigued! I would've sworn you to be a Southern Tribe member, though I'd never heard of you. Someone who moved from the Northern Tribe at the most. You seem so familiar with Waterbenders!"

"The yearly festival is to thank for that. I watched every performance, and love the element as if it were my own."

He must've sensed the tone of longing that resounded in my voice whenever I thought of my Earthbending. "What do you mean? Only benders have their own elements. "

I sighed and let the seconds tick away. Now my secret would be out.

"As my Tribe Chief, you have the right to know. I am a bender. An Earthbender. "

To my surprise, he just grinned. "You are more than that, Kaala, we are all more than our Bending... But that can wait. Certainly as a foreigner and a foreign Bender you aren't affected by most of our rules anyway, and having any sort of non-Waterbender is an honor. Few come you know, Fire and Earth are so rare here. "

I turned my face away as he spoke, and from the corner of my eyes I saw his countenance grow worried. "Kaala? What is it?"

"I never wanted to be an Earthbender. Or anything but a Waterbender. Please, keep my secret. I can escape it here where nobody needs my help." I met his eyes, pleading. He sighed, and glanced away, then met my eyes.

"Alright, Kaala. Though I've a guest who happens to be making his annual stop here tomorrow that I'd like you to meet. "

I nodded coolly. "Of course, Chief Dirahn." He looked a bit sad as he motioned for me to leave.

Outside, Koruk in all his tall, dark-hair, light-eyed, Waterbender glory was scratching Seeli's ear. The huge beast was looking quite pleased about it too. With a grin, I scratched her nose. "Silly Seeli." She barked, low and short, happily.

"She's a sweet creature." Koruk grinned at me.

"She is, I'm lucky to have her. Likana picked the perfect pet for me. "

The silence hung in the air, awkwardly. I flailed about in my mind, which seemed frozen by his ice-blue eyes.

"You look like you've got a lot on your mind. Want to go fishing together tomorrow? We can chat." He calmly stated, as I turned away.

"Um…sure, Koruk. Seeli might chase away all the fish though. "

"Or catch them. "

"Either one. "

"See you tomorrow?"

"By the tide." After saying that common response, I dashed off to watch the sunset. By myself and away from those piercing eyes. Koruk and I weren't really that close, so this was a pleasant, if daunting, surprise.


End file.
